My FAll Garden Conversion Story

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    We've lived in Phoenix a long time now, and whenever I've gardened, it has been in the Early Spring (before the end of February) and into the Early Summer.  I've known that a Fall garden is very possible to do in Phoenix, but I didn't try it until last year!  But now, I am a convert and because of that I have had something growing in my garden all year long this year.  It has been so much fun and so rewarding! 

     The thing that got me to finally try the Fall Garden was that I had a pretty nice bunch of strawberries growing and I didn't want them to just die off.  Strawberries love to self propagate, so I decided to try and Winter them over and see how they did. 
 
Wow! 
My crop has doubled and I harvested more strawberries than I ever have before!  I'm still getting a few small ones daily.  
     In order to winter them over, I simply pruned them back quite a bit, kept my watering spikes watering them and when the weather got really cold, or there was going to be a freeze, my husband helped me to cover them with a sheet.  They started blossoming in about April and I was soon after harvesting Strawberries! 

     Since I was outside taking care of my strawberries, I figured it was a good time to give a few other Fall plants a try.  I put in Beets and Spinach.  Here are the advantages I found to Fall gardening: 

• The sprouts came up so quickly
• I found we had fewer pests!
• The weather was cooler, so going out to the garden was much more enjoyable! 
• We had quite a bit of rain last year, so I definitely used less water. 

     

     In Phoenix, there are so many things we can grow in the Fall.  Here is a non-comprehensive list of things you might like to try: 

• garlic from cloves in Oct.
• kale
• watermelon from seed
• green onions
• peas
• radishes
• spinach
• beets
• broccoli
• carrots

    If you live in a colder climate than Phoenix, don't give up!  There are still things that you can put out in your garden in the Fall!  The main thing is to check when your first frost date usually is and check out some sources for your area.  Also, look for dates on your seeds that are quicker to harvest crops. But here are some more cool weather tolerant crops you can try: 

• cabbage and snow peas can stand light touches of frost
• carrots, cauliflower and brussel sprouts taste best after a frost.
• radishes grow quickly as do salad greens.  So plant them now for a harvest before winter.
• spinach loves cold weather better than summer heat.

     What are we waiting for?  It's time to get out there and plant! 

     And, if you would like some recipes that use your harvest, check out some of these: 

• Spinach Salads
• Spinach Puffs Appetizer​
• How to Eat Beets When You Don't Really Love Them
• More Ways To Eat Beets When You Don't Love Them
• Beet Top, Spinach and Salmon Quiche